For the Sake of the Father
by Sela McGrane
Summary: Years of tender looks come to a forbidden love. When she discovers she's pregnant, Hermione tells Ron he's the father...for the sake of the family she's built… and the man who really is. HG/AW
1. Chapter 1

**After reading "Bookends", by _'selmak' _(awesome pen name, for the record, if you're reading this!), for the, oh, fifteenth time or so, I decided to try my hand at an Arthur/Hermione fic. As far as plans go, this is only meant to be a two shot, this being part one, the next part being not up as of right now. We'll see if there's any interest at all before I take the time to write more. Anyway, hope you guys like the odd pairing. **

* * *

Arthur Weasley gazed tenderly at his daughter-in-law as she pulled away from his embrace; a long embrace brought on by nearly two years of not seeing one another, as she and Ron had been living in Australia for a time. Now that they had returned, the red haired man felt the familiar pang of guilt bubbling in his stomach over the fondness he harbored for Hermione.

He was too fond of her. Arthur knew what was appropriate and what most certainly wasn't, and the dreams he so often had featuring the brown eyed witch in his arms fell firmly in the later category. The worst of it was that he had a hunch that she was not entirely pure in her affections for him, either. He could see it in her eyes, that she wanted him, and he also knew that she'd never be so bold as to plainly state the fact. Arthur had hoped that she and Ron's time in Australia would have lessened one or both of their feelings, but it did not seem to be the case.

"I've missed you," Hermione said to him. "So very much."

"And I have missed _you_," he replied softly. He knew that the truth of how much was clearly written in his eyes right now, and much to his dismay, for the first time, Hermione saw it. He couldn't panic, nor could he allow her to bring what was now officially _their _secret to light with so many other people around them.

"Arthur?" she whispered questioningly.

He tilted his head toward Ron, Molly, and Ginny and Harry. "Later, Hermione," he said calmly.

Arthur felt anything but calm at the moment, but years of being a father to the likes of Fred and George had taught him how to appear calm under the worst of circumstances. This one ranked pretty high on the proverbial list, but still, he stood his ground, stepped away from her with a sigh, and went to greet his youngest son.

He could feel her watching him, that incredible brain probably going over every moment they'd had together up to now, wondering how long he'd felt for her as he did. Hermione would be wondering if she'd led him on - if how he felt was because of what she felt, or if maybe it was the other way around. Arthur didn't think it was either. He believed that the feelings between them had been a natural evolution of the closeness that had begun to form all those years ago when she was the only one awake when he'd leave for the Ministry on those mornings during the summers she had been staying at the Burrow. They had always been quiet around each other, and Arthur now surmised that perhaps that was the only reason that it had taken them this long to realize the other felt the same.

It didn't surprise Arthur when the following morning, as he sat down at the kitchen table for his cup of tea, that Hermione soon joined him. "Morning," he said quietly, much as he always had greeted her.

"We should talk," she said without preamble, pouring herself a cup of tea from the kettle, still warm on the stove. He'd left it on, knowing she'd come. She always did, after all.

"What is there to say, Hermione?" he asked. "You are a married woman, and I am a married man. The fact that you married my son... well, it certainly doesn't simplify things any."

"I know all that," she whispered, lowering her eyes in shame.

Arthur didn't want that: he didn't want to see her shame for loving him. He didn't want to see her tears, especially if it was he who caused them. So, he did the only thing he could think to do in that moment. Arthur stood, walked to the other end of the table, and roughly pulled her to her feet.

She gasped at the intrusion of her personal space, but didn't pull away. Rather, she leaned into his embrace as she had many times before, and his chin rested lightly on her brown curls. "Damn you," he whispered after a moment, knowing what was inevitably about to happen. Like seeing a flood coming, and knowing there was no higher ground to feel to, Arthur suddenly knew that he was about to cross a line to a place there'd be no turning back from.

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes pleading, and as much as Arthur wanted to believe that she was begging him to stop with those beautiful brown eyes, he knew it was quite the opposite. "Please…" she whispered.

"Not here," he heard himself say. "They'll believe me to be at work. Leave a note to say you've gone somewhere...I don't know - shopping or something, and we'll finish this conversation somewhere more safe."

* * *

Hermione didn't care where they were, just so long as it was away from Ron, Molly, and the rest of the Weasley family. It was cliché, she knew, but no one would find them here; no one who mattered anyway. They were all far too engrossed in the wizarding world to think to look for Hermione or Arthur in a muggle hotel, especially while she was supposedly visiting a muggle friend of no particular name, and he was supposedly at work. He'd even gone the extra mile and asked his secretary to tell anyone looking for him that he was out of the office on a case, and to leave a message.

"Well," Arthur said nervously.

Hermione looked at him affectionately. His careful nature was what drew her to him so readily. Arthur took the utmost care in everything he did. Even though many of his co-workers made fun of him, saying the Department for the Misuse of Magical Artifacts was a waste of Ministry resources, he treated the job like it was the most important job in the wizarding world.

"We don't have to do this," she said, giving him one more chance to walk away. She knew that he loved Molly, and Molly was a good woman who Hermione loathed the idea of hurting. That said…

"I want to," he replied.

… Hermione could never deny Arthur what he wanted. Merlin knew she wanted him just as much. It would just be this once - an itch they needed to scratch before it drove them mad. It was something that, when it was over, they'd never speak of it, though she imagined that sometimes there would be shared glances that spoke of remembrance.

With a deep breath, Hermione lifted her cotton shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor, leaving her standing there with low-rise jeans which she went ahead and unbuttoned, and a simple, powder blue lace bra.

"You are so beautiful," Arthur whispered, daring to take a step forward, reach out, and touch her skin.

She shivered at the contact. His fingers brushed her side with care, and her hands rose and rested around his neck. "Kiss me," Hermione uttered, looking him in the eye.

His lips descended on hers roughly, and instinct caused her to return the kiss with equal vigour. Before long, the furry escalated to the ripping of clothes - _Hermione could fix that later_ \- and with a push and a shove here, and a grope and tug there, before she quite knew how they had gotten from point A to point B, Hermione felt Arthur's cock sliding inside her, filling her up _perfectly._

"Oh, gods," she moaned, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist.

The look on Arthur's face was almost feral as he began to move inside her. experience was decidedly on his side, as unlike her husband, Arthur made her cum over and over and over again in the hours that followed.

Actually, the fact that the whole event lasted hours was proof enough that Arthur knew more about pleasing a woman than his son did. Hermione could only pray that Ron got this good, given time.

She was exhausted by the time they finished, as so was he. He'd come at least four times, and she...well, Hermione had stopped counting after her twenty-fifth orgasm. _Bloody hell…_

"You know we can't do this again," Arthur whispered after a while of just laying there together, wrapped in a tangle of limbs and sheets.

"I know," she replied, not even feeling sad about the fact. Hermione was not foolish enough to think she could have a long term affair with her father-in-law and not get caught. One time together had been reckless enough. The funny part of it all was that she was less concerned about how much it would hurt Ron to know, though she was plenty worried about that, and more so about how it would affect Molly. Arthur and Molly had been together since their Hogwarts days, and their love had lasted the test of time, financial difficulty, wartime dangers, and even the death of a son. Hermione didn't think there was anything that could break the two of them up, though she wasn't prepared to test fate.

* * *

Arthur dropped his fork when his son Ron announced that he and Hermione were expecting a baby. "Whut?" he asked stupidly, at once wondering how far along Hermione was and - _oh Merlin, no_ \- was Ron really the father?

He forced himself not to look at Hermione, though he could sense her looking at him. _Fuck_, he thought.

"Arthur, dear?" Molly's voice said at his left. "Aren't you going to congratulate Ron and Hermione?"

"Oh, of course," he muttered. "That's wonderful, you two."

Arthur carefully avoided a single moment alone with Hermione the rest of the evening, and eventually, they left. He wanted to retreat to his shed, but Molly was determined to celebrate the evening's announcement with some wine, and if he was very lucky, a shag for old time's sake. He and Molly rarely had sex anymore. In fact, he'd not had sex with her since before he and Hermione…

_Oh, Merlin, please let that child be Ron's…_

As Molly reached toward the shelf with the alcohol on it, he called out to her. "I'm feeling more like Firewhisky than wine, dear," he said. "If you'd grab that, I'll get you a wine glass and myself a tumbler."

"Of course," she replied sweetly, oblivious to the panic in her husband's eyes.

By the third glass of firewhisky, Arthur had decided on the _don't ask, don't tell_ method regarding the paternity of Hermione's child. If she didn't tell him outright, he wasn't going to ask. He just prayed that she was just as keen on him not knowing, unless, of course, the baby was Ron, and in that case, the sooner she told him, the bloody better.

* * *

Hermione Weasley smiled down at her daughter - Rose Brianna - wondering if there ever before had been such a beautiful little girl. Red hair befitting of a Weasley decorated her little head, though it was quite curly, reminding her of her own baby pictures. Arthur had been by, with Molly, of course, this morning, and Hermione had avoided eye contact with him, much as she had for the last six months since announcing her pregnancy. After their night together, that had become much the norm; she and Arthur saw each other quite regularly, and the tenderness between them still remained, though there was a distance between them which had grown in magnitude with each passing month of her pregnancy.

She wondered if he knew. She wondered if Arthur had guessed that Rose was his little girl, rather than Ron's. Ron, of course, had no reason to suspect that the squalling red-head was not his own, but Arthur had to at least suspect otherwise. When Hermione had discovered she was pregnant, the first thing she'd done was book an appointment with a healer, and gotten confirmation of exactly when Rose had been conceived.

Healer Lavender Brown entered the room with a soft smile. Lavender had been a dorm mate of Hermione's back at Hogwarts, and while they'd never really gotten along while at school, the final year of the war had done a number on Lavender's maturity. She was the only one besides Hermione herself who knew the truth of Rose's birth.

"How is the newest Weasley?" Lavender asked quietly, warding the room for privacy. She made a habit of doing this when speaking with Hermione, knowing that if the topic of just who the father of this baby was came up, it needed to be conversed about it complete secrecy. While she may have been a gossip queen at Hogwarts, she had since learned the value of relationships borne from trust. "Had Arthur been by yet?"

"He and Molly came by about an hour ago," Hermione replied. "He held her...and for a moment…"

"He had to at least suspect," Lavender said with a sigh.

"Of course. But until he has the nerve to ask a very simple question, I'm not going to tell him."

"Would it change anything if he knew?"

"Not likely," Hermione shrugged. "We agreed that what happened between us was a one-off. It won't happen again -"

Lavender huffed at that.

"I'm serious, Lavender!" Hermione protested.

"I'm sure you think you are," the other former Gryffindor smiled. "However, you now have a child together, and at some point, probably not too far in the future, you will discuss the fact, and with emotions high, I won't be at all surprised if you sleep with him at least one more time."

"Don't you think I've learned by bloody lesson after the first time?" Hermione argued. "I should have known - I mean Arthur _is_ the great inseminator!"

Laughter filled the room, first Lavender's, who was remember Ron giving her a speech about how they shouldn't have sex because he was too worried with his father being the _great inseminator_, that he'd get her pregnant. In retrospect, she was grateful he'd been mature enough to think like that, even if she'd been annoyed back then. Hermione quickly joined in the laugher, it suddenly hitting her how utterly ridiculous this situation was. She had just given birth to her bloody father-in-law's child and was debating what to do about the inevitable facing of the facts.

"Seriously, Hermione," Lavender said with mirth in her eyes. "If he is as good in bed as you said, I'd want to bugger him again, and you know how picky I've become!"

Hermione blushed furiously, holding her infant daughter close to her body.

* * *

Arthur looked toward the kitchen when he heard the Floo come alive. Molly was supposed to be watching Rose today, but she'd had to rush off when Ginny called about wanting to kill Harry. He was certain all would be well in the end between his daughter and son-in-law, but Molly was determined to help defuse the situation. That said, here he was, about to face a situation he'd carefully avoided for just over a year now. He was about to be in a room...in a house...alone… with his daughter-in-law, Hermione.

The daughter-in-law he'd had sex with.

Rose was down for a nap, which didn't help this situation at all. He knew he wouldn't be able to resist asking the question that had plagued his mind for exactly three-hundred and seventy-one days, nights, and hours in between. When he looked at Rose, he felt an affection he'd only ever felt for Hermione. The question was if that affection was brought on by the fact that she was _her_ daughter, or because Rose was _their _daughter.

"Arthur," Hermione said, surprised to see him, alone. He was usually still at work at this hour.

"Rose is napping," he said without preamble. "Molly had to rush off to solve Ginny and Harry's problems."

Hermione laughed at that. "How long has Rose been sleeping?"

"About forty-five minutes," Arthur replied, beckoning Hermione to take a seat. "Before we wake her, I thought perhaps we could talk for a bit."

The young woman paled slightly at his suggestion, which caused his gut to twist uncomfortably. "Go on, ask," she whispered, sitting on the sofa beside him.

"Is Rose...my daughter?" he asked, not daring to look at Hermione.

"Yes," Hermione replied quietly. "She is."

Arthur took a deep breath in, and let it out slowly. "Oh Merlin," he muttered.

"I've not kept it from you," Hermione said. "I just needed you to ask. I didn't want to blindside you with a truth you were not ready or willing to face."

"You had to have known I suspected, Hermione," he frowned.

"You'd have been foolish not to," she shrugged. "But still, I wasn't going to just waltz into the Burrow one day and blurt out that you'd gotten me pregnant. Besides, this is the first we've been alone...together...since that morning."

Memories of the encounter which had resulted in Rose's birth flooded both of their minds, and before either knew what was happening, their fingers were entwined, and they were leaning in for a kiss.

_Just one kiss…_ Arthur thought as their lips met.

_Just for a minute…_ he thought as he pulled Hermione onto his lap and the kiss escalated rapidly.

"Please," Hermione begged, rocking her hips as her lips nipped at his neck.

Years of sexual encounters in between the various nap times of seven children had allowed Arthur to fine tune the art of a _quicky_. He knew how to be fast, and he knew how to make it good. The fact of exactly whose clothing he'd just banished along with his own didn't even cross his mind until after he'd sunk his length into her slick, hot folds. "Gods, Hermione…" he muttered, forcing himself to not care about the potential consequences. He'd beat himself up later, presuming Molly didn't show up right about now and there was no later to be had. Those of his children with tempers did _not_ get it from him.

Knowing she wasn't likely to get a good orgasm in this position, he lifted her up, all while staying inside of her, and pressed her back against the nearest all. The irony didn't escape him when he noticed that the portion of wall that he had her pressed against also bore a framed picture of Rose, taken only a few weeks ago.

"Almost…" she whispered as he thrust deeply into her body, pace quickening. He would normally wait a good while before letting himself come, but they hadn't the time they'd had during their last encounter. Molly could come home. One of the kids could pop by. Someone could floo-call. Rose could wake up…

"Together," he grunted, feeling her walls beginning to tighten around him.

Oh...oh…" Hermione panted.

Moments later, they orgasmed in union, and as soon as their heartbeats slowed down a little, Arthur deposited Hermione on the couch. A flick of his wand redressed them both, and to anyone that might happen to walk in, the only thing to bear evidence to what had just happened was the light flush on both of their cheeks.

"I'll go get Rose," Arthur said after a moment of just watching Hermione lay there, staring at him.

"Okay," she whispered.

By the time Arthur reached the nursery that he and Molly kept for when the grandkids visited, Bill and Charlie's old room, Rose was awake and cooing happily. "Hey little one," he said softly.

He picked her up, just holding her for a while, memorizing her features as if it was the first time he'd seen her. "You want to know a secret?" he whispered to her. "I'm your daddy."

* * *

"SON OF A BITCH!" Hermione shouted to her empty flat, having just returned from St. Mungo's and a very, very amused Healer Brown. She was pregnant. Again. With Arthur's child. _Again_. She was going to bloody neuter than man!

This time, she was not going to keep Arthur in the dark. He already knew Rose was his, so what did another child in the mix of the soap opera their lives had become matter?

"The Burrow!" she shouted, flinging some floo powder into the fireplace. She hadn't seen Arthur in six weeks, not since the afternoon he'd apparently gotten her pregnant...again.

"Hello?" she shouted, as soon as the connection was made.

Arthur's head came into view. "Is everything okay?" he asked, noticing her distressed face.

"I need you to step through," she said through gritted teeth.

Realization dawned on the red haired man's face. "You cannot be serious…"

"GET OVER HERE," she hissed.

A moment later, he emerged into her living room. "Hermione…"

"Do you have super-sperm or something?!" she asked.

"You're pregnant again?" he asked quietly. "It's mine?"

"Yes, and _yes_," she replied, voice low and dangerous.

"We've kept this a secret so far," he reasoned. "We can keep it up."

"Is that what you want, Arthur?" Hermione asked, wondering exactly what sort of relationship they had.

"Well I _don't _want to destroy both of our families," he snapped. "So I don't really see another option. What do you want, Hermione? Shall announce that you're pregnant, and I'm the bloody father, at dinner next week? Should Rose start calling me _daddy_? Should I divorce my wife and do right by my _son's_ wife? Should you destroy your reputation by admitting to sleeping with me?"

"Fine," Hermione said, his case argued quite thoroughly. "I get it."

"This isn't about love," Arthur said quietly, pulling her into his arms. "Or a lack of it. You _know_ how much I care for you."

"I know," she whispered. "I just wish that Rose could grow up knowing who her daddy really is. Her and her sibling-to-be."

"Me too," Arthur sighed. "But we both know it just can't be."

* * *

**Continue? PLEASE REVIEW! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, so much for this being a two shot... here is part two, however, this story has developed a mind of its own, and as such...it is not complete. I'm hoping to close it out in a part three...but as I am a slave to the plot bunny... we'll see on that. Enjoy! Thank you all for your support!**

* * *

Fifteen years ago, Arthur Weasley would never have imagined himself as the sort to lead a double life. He'd heard of men like that, who had two different families, and wondered what sort of man could do that to a woman, or women rather, he claimed to love. Now, he knew what sort of man it took - the kind who had too big a heart for his own damn good, who could go on loving the woman he'd been with for decades, while keeping a mistress on the side whom he loved equally. Not more, not less - equally. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving Molly, nor could he bring himself to stop seeing Hermione. The bizarre twist in his little soap opera was that his _other woman_ was his daughter-in-law. As he and Hermione were here this evening, celebrating a decade and a half and two amazing children together, later this month it would be his son Ron celebrating his twentieth anniversary of marriage to the same woman.

"Arthur, did I show you the latest pictures of the kids?" Hermione asked, nudging him from her side of their bed.

_Their bed…_

After five years of a continuing affair, Arthur had found a small flat with cheap rent and leased it under an assumed name. It was not in a good neighborhood, but as it was too risky to bring the Rose and Hugo here - it's not like _they _knew Ron wasn't their father - it really didn't said, in the last ten years he and Hermione had made it into a nice little home; it did have two bedrooms, though one remained decidedly unused. Neither of them had ever said anything about it, but Arthur believed he was not alone in thinking that it would be a good thing to have if ever their secret was discovered and they and the children needed a place to stay. Rose and Hugo could share a bedroom in the short term, till their parents worked out a way to move them somewhere nicer...presuming their parents weren't murdered by their respective spouses first. Or each others' spouses...Arthur figured that Ron was just as likely to kill him as Molly was, and Molly would probably be more than happy to do in Hermione.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm glad Minerva decided to start doing school photos. She hired that Creevy bloke, right?"

"Dennis," Hermione nodded. "His elder brother Colin was in Ginny's year - he died in the final battle. Both of the Creevy boys were very fond of taking pictures, particularly of Harry."

Arthur laughed a little. "Maybe Hugo will finish growing up and they'll make a magazine equivalent of _Potterwatch_," he joked, noting their nearly thirteen year old son's current dream to be a journalist. Hermione had been quite distressed by the notion, decidedly scarred over her history with Rita Skeeter, during the war.

"Ha, ha, ha," she said dryly.

"We should get moving, hun," Arthur said, sitting up. "Molly will be expecting me, and Ron will expect you to meet him at King's Cross."

"So I'll see you tonight at the Burrow, then?" she asked, referring to the planned family dinner with the entire extended family. Harry, Ginny, and their three kids would be there, as would the rest of the Weasley boys and their respective wives, girlfriends, children, or in Percy's case, his boyfriend Gerard.

"Of course, your respectable father-in-law will be there," Arthur said with a sigh. These group get togethers were hardest on Hermione, and he knew it. Ron was bound to drink too much, and get mouthy, at which point it would take all of Arthur's self control not to slug his son into next week. Hermione would mope for weeks, angry that he hadn't stood up for her, and knowing perfectly well why he could not. He _couldn't _be the man to defend her honor, even when the man who should be doing so was the one doing the dishonoring.

* * *

Hermione waved at Ron as he stumbled through the barrier to Platform nine-and-three-quarters. She sighed sadly when she saw him continue to stumble forward - he was obviously drunk. He'd pretty much been that way for the last three years, since finding out that Rose and Hugo were not his children. After an accident on the job, he'd been examined at St. Mungo's and discovered that he was sterile, leading him to ask his wife who the bloody hell had fathered her children.

"_It doesn't matter, Ron!" she'd said. "He can't be a father to the kids, and they do need one. I'm sorry I've cheated but please think about them. They need you!"_

In the end, after a year of marital counseling, they'd agreed to remain together - after all, she couldn't have the man she wanted, so why break up her family? Arthur, of course, knew what Ron had discovered, and in the years since it had made him extra careful in his interactions with his daughter-in-law. Staying married to Ron wasn't easy, especially now that he was pushing the line of a raging drunk, but she still felt it was the right thing to do. Well, as right as one could be in a situation like this. Maturity often asked Hermione what the bloody hell she'd been thinking, sleeping with Arthur. Of course, even the mature Hermione reasoned that if she'd never slept with him, she wouldn't have her children, as Ron had never been able to father them in the first place.

"Hey, 'Mione," Ron slurred, taking his place beside her on the platform as the Hogwarts Express began to come into view. "Ready to have the little bastards home?"

"Don't call them that, Ron," Hermione whispered, biting back the tears. As each year passed, things got worse between them. Ron may have physically stayed in the marriage, but he'd left her emotionally the day he found out that Rose and Hugo weren't his. She was beginning to wonder how much longer she could keep pretending that the boy she'd once called her friend was worth fighting for.

"They _are_ bastards, Hermione," Ron spat. "Not even you deny that, though why you're so keen on no one else knowing the bloody truth I can't fathom. If you were so worried about your reputation as a goody-two-shoes you wouldn't have screwed around on me in the first place."

"Not _now,_" she hissed, as the train pulled up to the station and dozens of children began disembarking, happy to be home for the Easter Holiday.

"There never is a good time for the truth, eh?" Ron mused, ignoring her.

_No_, Hermione thought as Rose and Hugo spotted her and had begun making their way over. _No, there isn't._

* * *

Hugo Weasley's step faltered as he made for his parents. Like his uncles Fred and George, the second year Gryffindor boy loved inventing things. The year before he'd gone to Hogwarts, his parents had started fighting a lot, and so in concern for his mum, he'd invented something similar to the Weezies _Extendable Ears_. While he was within eyesight of someone, he could hear what they were saying. It was a gel type potion which he'd slathered a bit on his dad's favorite coat sleeve, which acted as a transmitter to the earpiece he always wore when home for the holidays. He'd put some of the gel on him mum's favorite coat too, but she was so bloody anal that she'd washed it a grand total of two days after he'd put it there. His dad, however, was far less regular in cleaning his treasured, brown blazer.

"_They are bastards, Hermione," _Hugo heard his dad say angrily_. "Not even you deny that, though why you're so keen on no one else knowing the bloody truth I can't fathom. If you were so worried about your reputation as a goody-two-shoes you wouldn't have screwed around on me in the first place."_

Bastards? Hugo was shell shocked at the implications; he and Rose were products of their mum having an affair on their dad! Well, who the bloody hell was their dad, then? He and Rose certainly looked like Weasleys, you know, red hair and freckles and all that. Rose had their mum's curly hair, but he was the spitting image of his dad…

… or not…

It didn't take long for Hugo to consider that his dad, _Ron_, that was_, _had four brothers. Uncle Bill would never cheat on Aunt Fleur...he was too scared of her. Uncle Charlie and his mum got along as well as he got on with Scorpius bloody Malfoy. Uncle Percy was gay. Uncle George was so obviously smitten with his long time girlfriend, Alison, that it was ridiculous to think that he'd _do it_ with mum and risk losing Ali. The only other Weasley man around was…

Oh, bloody hell…

It _couldn't be_.

Hugo found his mind drifting to his grandfather. The grandfather who had always doted on he and Rose more than any of the other grandkids. The grandfather who everyone knew was very fond of his mum. The grandfather who he was named after…

But Arthur Weasley wasn't the sort to…

Hugo groaned. There was no way. There had to be other red haired men out there who were _not_ Weasleys. He and Rose's real dad...they'd probably never met him. He probably didn't even know they existed. That's why dad..._Ron_, Hugo mentally corrected, had stuck around after finding out he and Rose weren't his kids - because their biological father wasn't around. That _had_ to be it. Despite his inner protest, something in Hugo's gut still said that he'd been right the first round...that the man they'd grown up calling _Grandad_ was really their father.

* * *

Rose Weasley looked curiously at her brother, who had his 'I'm thinking' face on. She got worried as his face got paler and paler with each passing minute, as she dragged him through the crowd of students toward their parents. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

She and Hugo were close - only fifteen months apart in age and no more siblings than just them, while Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny took the Potter kids, their cousins, traveling on holidays, she and Hugo only had each other.

"We need to talk," he whispered back. "Without _them_."

"Escape plan?" she asked, trusting Hugo completely.

"Duck, hats, and run?" he suggested.

Being two red headed kids, they had always been easy to spot in a crowd. Therefore, the two of them had taken to always keeping hats on hand, to help hide them in a crowd when they wanted to escape their parents. "Add scatter to the plan and meet up at the old Broom Factory?" she amended his plan.

"Three…" Hugo prompted.

"Two…" Rose whispered, letting go of his shoulder.

"One!" her brother hissing, and like bullets, the two Weasley's were off. It was almost ten seconds and a good ten yards later for Rose before she heard her mum calling "Hugo Arthur Weasley!"

"ROSE! Damnit, kid!" she heard her dad shout.

She didn't look back. Once upon a time, she and Hugo had trusted their parents, but then three years ago, the happy family they'd had changed into something akin to a ticking time bomb. Neither of the kids knew what had happened between their parents, but the fact that whatever happened was never shared with Rose and her brother had caused them to distrust their parents, bonding the siblings closer together than ever before.

Fifteen minutes later, and decidedly sure she was not being trailed by either of her parents, Rose entered the old, abandoned Broom Factory that she and Hugo often met up at when they got separated while out and about. Ron and Hermione Weasley had no idea they came here. It was _their _place.

Hugo was already waiting. Normally, he'd have a smirk on his face for having beaten his older sister here, but today, he was just pacing, looking anxious. "Okay, little sib, tell me why we just ditched mum and dad."

"He's not our dad," Hugo whispered. "I overheard he and mum talking about it."

"That gel stuff of yours?" Rose asked, frowning.

"Yeah. He said mum didn't deny cheating, and that we were bastards, and, gods, Rosie, we look like Weasleys so much. If...Ron isn't our dad...who is?"

"You already have a guess, don't you?" Rose asked. She loved her brainiac little brother so much, and had learned to trust him in matters of deductive reasoning.

"Arthur," he whispered.

"GRANDAD?!" Rose shouted, totally unprepared for _that. _"What about Uncle Charlie?"

"He and mum hate each other."

"I know Percy is gay…" Rose mused. "Bill would never cheat on Fleur...George?"

"If he found five minutes to stop shagging Ali in order to knock mum up once, I'd be surprised, let alone twice."

"Grandad?" Rose whispered this time, still shocked and very much weirded out at the notion. "You really think he'd cheat on Grandma?"

"You know how close he and mum are…"

"Bloody hell."

"Do you think dad...er...Ron, knows?" Rose asked.

"He knows he's not our dad, but I don't think he knows who really is. I doubt anyone but mum does...and grandad, I guess," Hugo replied. "If Ron knew, then grandma...Molly would know too...and she'd have _killed_ grandad. Merlin Rose, this changes _everything _if it gets out."

* * *

Arthur was surprised when Hermione directly approached him as soon as she and Ron arrived at the Burrow...alibiet, several hours ahead of schedule. "Did Rose and Hugo come here?" she asked in a low voice.

"Did you and Ron not meet them at King's Cross?" he asked worriedly.

"Oh we did," she drawled, letting out a frustrated groan. "And as Ron and I were arguing about him calling the children _bastards_, Rose and Hugo bolted, and have been no where to be seen since. I'm concerned they somehow overheard."

Arthur frowned. "Well they didn't come here. Do you want me to call my contacts at the Ministry?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, not yet at least. They know we were planning on coming here after dropping their trunks off at the house...I'm hoping they arrive on their own accord."

"Alright then," he agreed. "I was about to head down to my shed for a bit. Let me know if they show up?"

"Of course," Hermione replied, touching his arm lightly.

At that, she turned and began ranting about the situation with Molly - without her suspicions as to why they'd run off - and he made his way down the back yard to his beloved shed. It was his quiet place, where he'd tinker with muggle things, a passion for which his youngest daughter was also enthusiastic, much to Ron's dismay. After fathering nine children, at least one of them was _bound_ to appreciate muggle things like he did.

To his surprise, he opened the shed door to be greeted by the guilty looking faces of the missing children. "Your mother is worried sick," he stated, closing the door behind him. If Hermione was right about what they had overheard, he wanted to defuse the situation best he could before alerting anyone they were here.

"Ron's just angry, I'll bet," Hugo said, shoulders slumping.

"So you did overhear what your parents were talking about?" Arthur asked, no longer doubting the fact.

The children exchanged a look that Arthur could only describe as a mental exchange of _oh bugger_.

"So Hugo was right?" Rose asked timidly. "You're our dad?"

Arthur was dumbfounded that the kids would come to that conclusion. "What on earth did you overhear?" he asked evenly.

"That...Ron's not our dad," Hugo said. "That no one, including him, knows who really is, because mum won't tell."

"And that led you to believe that _I_ was your biological father?" he inquired, still not following Rose and Hugo's reasoning.

"Well, it's obvious we're Weasleys," Rose said, ruffling Hugo's mop of red hair. "And Bill's too scared of Fleur to cheat, Charlie and mum don't get on at all, Percy is gay, and George is too busy shagging Alison to look twice at mum."

"Also," Hugo added. "It's obvious that you love mum. Before now, we just didn't think you loved her like _that_."

"What about your grandmother?" Arthur asked, running out of ways to reason his way out of a very, very, bad situation. "Don't you believe I love her enough to stay faithful?"

"Not our grandmother," Rose pointed out.

"Not the point," Arthur argued.

"Love her? Yes," Hugo said, looking thoughtful. "But I think you love mum too, or at least, you loved her enough to be with her the two times it took to make us."

"What about all the other red haired men out there?" the Weasley patriarch asked, grasping at his final straw. "Surely you two realize the Weasley's are not the only red haired people out there."

"It's possible," Rose agreed. "But you still haven't denied being our dad, and I think that would have been the first thing you would have done if we were wrong."

The proverbial axe had swing. Arthur gulped, and took a seat on his workbench. He said nothing to them, sitting there trying to wrap his head around the notion that after fifteen years of carefully guarding a secret, it was coming undone thanks to Ron's big, bloody, mouth.

"Dad?" Hugo asked quietly.

At this point, there was only one thing to be done. The slim chance he had for keeping the truth of Rose and Hugo's birth between he, Hermione, and their two very intelligent children was to foster trust. Pronto. Which meant...truth. "You two were not supposed to find out," he muttered finally. "But yes, you are both my children."

"Wow," Hugo breathed out.

"How?" Rose asked desperately. "How did you go from being mum's father-in-law to being mum's...boyfriend? Are you still together? Do you…"

"Your mum needs to be a part of this conversation," Arthur interrupted. "I'm going as ask you two to _please_ walk out of this shed, act perfectly normal, and after I talk to your mum, we'll arrange a day where we can meet up as a family and we'll discuss everything then. You have to understand that if _anyone_ else finds out...it will destroy this family in one fell swoop. If your...brother… don't kill me, my wife will. If you have the slightest desire for answers, you will keep your mouths _shut_."

Rose and Hugo had never seen Arthur that serious before. Both nodded, offered muttered _yes, sirs_, and scampered out of the shed and presumably up to the Burrow. Arthur took a few moments to calm himself before following.

It was several hours later before he managed to corner Hermione alone, standing in the garden with a glass of wine, watching the sun set over the ridge. "They know," he whispered.

She glanced at him, eyes wide.

"Rose and Hugo know _everything_," he elaborated. "We'll need to talk to them, soon. I told them very little...just enough to get them to keep quiet for the time being."

"How did they seem to be taking it?" Hermione whispered, looking down.

"Well enough," Arthur answered. "Hugo called me..._dad_."

Hermione smiled softly, still looking at her feet. "I'll bring them to the apartment tomorrow at noon. I'll tell Ron I'm taking them shopping for new robes - you know how he hates doing that with them. Meet us there?"

"Of course," he nodded. "Shall I bring groceries?"

"Just bring what we'll need to make sandwiches," Hermione replied. "And chocolate."

"Buttering them up?" he asked with a wry grin.

"To balance the inevitable mood swings," she replied sadly. "Today, they're in shock. Tomorrow, they will be angry."

Arthur huffed. "They must be Weasleys."

* * *

**Okay, so in part one, it was just Arthur and Hemrione's POV. In this chapter, I included Rose and Hugo's, as well as Arthur and Hermione. Next update will include Arthur, Hermione, Ron, and one other person. Should it be one of the kids? Should it be Molly? Someone else? Another cannon character? An OC? Perhaps one of Hermione's parents? PLEASE REVIEW, and let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**My dear Beta has been relentlessly trying to talk me into finishing this fic. At present, she is in my living room (Flew out to see me!) and I found out that her puppy dog eyes are very effective in person. Thus, this story is getting finished. There will be one more chapter after this one, and I do hope you all enjoy it as much as she seems to be. Will get back to Telling Time in short order, I promise. :)**

* * *

Fifty-two year old Hermione Granger smiled as her long time lover, and father of her two children, walked through her front door for their weekly dinner. While she and Ronald had divorced directly after Hugo's graduation, Arthur still remained with Molly. In part, he said, it was because it would look suspicious if she divorced Ron and then he divorced Molly, but the other factor that had always been there and had not changed was simply that he still loved the mother of his first seven children.

For Hermione's part, while she had been _the other woman_ for thirty-one years now, she had never resented Arthur for staying with Molly, and had come to enjoy the benefits that came with not having to live full time with her partner. In some ways, it kept their romance exciting, knowing that each time they were together was a risk of being caught. Besides, Arthur did his damn best to make up for his absences when they were together, and despite being more than eighty years old now, he _made up for it_ really damn well. He was still clean shaven, and his steely blue eyes still made her insides melt, though there was more grey than red in his hair now. Hell, she had her fair share of grey starting to show through. Just as he was, she was getting old.

Once Rose and Hugo had learned the truth of their births, it had become a family secret. Fifteen years after the fact, neither of them had told a soul about who their biological father was, though at this point it was common knowledge that it wasn't Ron. Regardless of _that_ coming out in the process of the divorce, neither Molly nor her children looked at Rose and Hugo as any less a part of the family. Ron had not had much contact with Hugo since the boy had graduated, though Rose still tried to maintain a superficial relationship with the man she'd once called _dad_. Both kids still took part in the monthly Weasley bashes, and were well used to pretending Arthur was really their grandfather when they were there.

"Hey, love," Hermione greeted, kissing the Weasley Patriarch soundly on the lips. "How was your week?"

"Molly wants me to _retire_," he said, groaning.

"You'd be bored to tears in a matter of weeks!" Hermione said, nearly outraged. She and Arthur were so alike in that way. They both lived for working. He was still the Head of the Department of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, and she had been recently promoted to being one of only three lead Charms researchers at the Ministry. When the position for Head of the whole Charms Division opened up, Hermione and only the two people she shared seniority with would be in line for that position. Arthur liked to insist that they'd be idiots not to choose her when the time came.

"That's what I said," he mused. "Of course, Molly wants what Molly wants, and in this case it's to have me untied from my desk chair and free to go on three month long holidays. Of course, that would also mean not seeing you for three months at a time, and to be honest I'm not sure I could handle that."

"Dad!"

Whatever further conversation regarding his retirement might have happened was quickly forgotten as Rose entered the room, and launched happily into her father's arms. "Rose!" he exclaimed, scooping the tall, beautiful red haired woman into his embrace. "What are you doing here?"

In years past, both kids were at all the weekly dinners, but they were now adults, and as it was with most adult children, they came to see their parents when other things weren't interfering.

"I wanted to see you," Rose said, kissing Arthur's cheek lightly. "Actually, I wanted to see you both. I have some… news."

Hermione eyed her daughter, the glow on her face obviously showing that whatever it was, Rose was very happy about it. "What's going on sweetheart?" she asked.

"Jered asked me to marry him!" she exclaimed, holding out her hand so that her parents could examine the very nice engagement ring on her finger.

Arthur laughed. "About time. You two have been dating for what, five years?"

Hermione rolled her eyes as she thought of the Ravenclaw boy who had been her daughter's long time boyfriend. "Try nine," she said. "They started going out just before Rose graduated from her Mastery Program."

"That long?" Arthur asked. "Good lord. I only dated Molly for four years before we got married, and that was a long courtship as far as my parents were concerned."

It had long since stopped bothering Hermione when Molly came up in conversation. She was a part of Arthur's world, just as Hermione was, even if the other woman had no idea that they shared a partner. After thirty years together, Hermione felt like she was Arthur's wife just as much as Molly was, and haf come to be okay with the idea of sharing him. It wasn't as though Molly was a bad person. She was, in fact, one of the kindest women Hermione had ever known.

"Well forgive me for not wanting to rush things," Rose said. "Given how well that worked out for mum."

Neither Arthur nor Hermione could bring themselves to rebuke Rose for her comment. She was right. While it would still be a mess, things would be infinitely more simple were Hermione just _the other woman_, and not the former daughter-in-law. "If you're happy, then so are we," Arthur stated after a pause. "Truly, baby."

"Actually, Daddy…"

_Uh-oh_, Hermione thought. If Rose was calling Arthur _Daddy_ she was about to ask for something. Likely something that they couldn't give her. Certainly she was about to say something they didn't want to hear. Hermione hoped she was not pregnant. She didn't want _that_ to be why Rose and Jered were finally getting married.

"I want you to walk me down the aisle for the wedding," Rose said, looking pleadingly into the blue eyes she shared with Arthur. "I know it's complicated but…"

"No," Arthur stated firmly, though Hermione could see the pain, the regret, in his now slumped bearing. "I am so sorry sweetie, but that is not possible. While it might not be uncommon for a grandfather to walk a granddaughter down the aisle for her wedding, by having me do that, you are asking people to speculate, given the fact that while it's known Ron isn't your father, it's obvious that some red-haired man _is_. If I step into a paternal role for your wedding, people will ask questions we cannot afford."

Rose was trying to hide it, but Hermione knew her daughter was devastated. "Of course," the young witch said. "I just thought maybe just this once… yeah, never mind. You guys enjoy your dinner. I'll see you later."

The newly engaged woman didn't wait around before rushing out of the flat that Hermione and Arthur shared, door closing with a firm click behind her. The couple said nothing for a full minute after the pop of disapparation sounded, seeming to echo in the snow and ice that covered the ground outside.

They returned to dinner, not talking about the kids, or work, or Molly, or much of anything at all. They had just finished and began clearing the dishes when the front door swung open again. This time, however, rather than being greeted by a happy Rose, an angry Hugo stormed in.

Neither parent had time to ask what was up before Hugo narrowed his brown eyes and swung a punch, catching Arthur in the jaw with all the power the strong young man could muster. Turns out, that was quite a bit, as the next thing Hermione knew her lover was on the floor with a bleeding lip and Hugo was venting the rest of his frustrations by shouting at his father.

"One thing, you bastard! Rose and I have asked _nothing_ of you all these years. We've never asked if we could tell our friends, or asked if you'd divorce Molly so we could be a proper family, even though you had to know that's what we wanted! She asks you one thing, Dad! Just walk her down the aisle and let her pretend for two minutes that we've ever had a normal family! Yeah, I get it, it's a risk, but to be fuckin' frank, maybe it's about damn time that you two face the bloody music!"

"Hugo!" Hermione snapped, trying to reign her son in. He, however, was just getting started.

"Shut up, mum. I've kept my mouth shut for fifteen years, so I'm having my say right now," he snarled. "Here's how it's going to go, you two. You have two choices. Either you find Rose this week and you promise her you're going to walk her down that aisle, or the week after that I'm telling Molly the truth, and you guys can pray she doesn't skewer you both alive."

"But!" Arthur started to say.

"Also, Rose gets to tell Jered the truth," Hugo added with a satisfied smirk. "She should not have to start her marriage with lies just because that's all your lives are about."

Hermione had officially had _enough_. "Young man, I understand that you are upset and I understand that your sister is feeling hurt right now. But you have _no right_ to threaten your father. Molly does not deserve to have her life turned upside down because you two are in a snit, and your brothers and sister through her don't deserve it either."

Hugo responded to the rebuke as he always had; lowering his eyes and tone in short order, though he did seem to be holding on to his argument. "Mum, I'm sorry, but at some point this is all going to come out. Why not when it will mean the world to Rose?"

Perhaps his temper had dampened, but his pushing just fueled hers. "Hugo Arthur Weasley, how about you look at it like this - you can either accept your father and my decision, or I can rearrange both of your memories in such a way that you don't have the slightest clue who your dad is."

Arthur stiffened at that. "I think that's uncalled for, Hermione. You cannot tell him not to threaten us and then turn around and do the same to him. Especially when, if you did carry out that threat, it would impact you and me just as much."

Hermione sighed. "I won't do it, love. I was merely making a point to our son. Doesn't feel good to be threatened, does it?"

At this point, Hugo was officially in retreat mode. "No ma'am."

"Hugo, I'll tell you what," Arthur said after a pause. "If you and Rose will be patient, your mum and I will discuss our options and give due consideration to your sister's request. I know this has been hard on you both. But the wedding isn't going to happen in the next month - unless she's in a mad rush after waiting so long already - so I don't think that's too much to ask for."

"Yes sir," Hugo mumbled. "I'm sorry I slugged you."

Arthur gently caressed his jaw, sure to be bruised by tomorrow, and offered his youngest child a wry grin. "Well, in fairness, you were acting in defense of your sister, and that's not something I can honestly say I disapprove of. That said, I appreciate the apology. I'm getting a bit old to get into scuffles. Give your old man a break, will ya?"

"My old man," Hermione said tenderly, pressing a kiss to his lips, which went from chaste to lustful in a matter of seconds.

"Okay then," Hugo groaned. "Totally out of here now. You guys...er… have a fun evening."

"Oh I will," Hermione said, cheshire grin spreading across her face as she made it obvious what part of Arthur's body she was most interested in.

"Geeze! Mum!"

"Just your mum?" Arthur smirked. "I'm planning on having some fun too."

"I'm gone. I am so, so, _so_ gone."

* * *

Arthur and Hermione lay in their bed, both panting from the _fun_ which had transpired directly after Hugo's departure. After two emotional confrontations, they had needed the connection. They needed to remind themselves that all of the choices they'd made together were worth it; that the love between them was lasting and strong, and no mere affair. While the red-haired man had given his lover all of his attention while they'd made love, in the aftermath, his mind drifted to what he'd promised Hugo, and with a ragged sigh, he realized that one comment his youngest child had made really did make a solid point.

_At some point this is all going to come out. Why not when it will mean the world to Rose?_

Arthur was acutely aware that Rose and Hugo had never asked a thing of him. They had pleaded with him to come to their graduations (though he'd sneaked in all the same), and they had not asked him to meet their romantic interests as any good father did (though he'd run background checks on anyone that the kids mentioned being interested in). The point was that that they had not asked. Now, Rose _was_ asking and much like he'd been unable to turn away from Hermione, and found himself powerless against his daughter's request, even if he'd denied it at first.

The truth was that he'd known since the beginning that he could not go to his grave with his secret, and that he could not take the easy route and wait for it to come out until after his Molly passed away. He'd always known that one day, he would have to stand up and claim Rose and Hugo as his own. And as Hugo had said, why not when it would mean the world to his baby girl?

"I think it's time," he muttered, rolling his head over to look at Hermione.

"To tell everyone?" she asked softly.

"Yes," he replied. "Soon, because I'd prefer the proverbial dust to be at least mostly settled before Rose's wedding. She deserves that."

They had agreed two decades ago that if and when their secret came out, it would be up to Arthur. He was the one who stood to lose the most in a fallout. While Hermione could potentially forfeit the friendships she had with the older Weasley children, and friendships she'd developed through them, it was Arthur who risked the wrath of Molly and the children he'd had with her. Ron would likely never speak to him again. Arthur hoped that Rose understood that with her request, the tentative relationship with the man she'd called _dad_ for the first fifteen years of her life would likely be shattered completely. Hugo didn't talk to Ron at all, so he didn't have that worry.

"If you can wait a few days, I'd like to tell Minerva before you tell Molly," Hermione commented. "She's been such a wonderful friend over the years, and I believe I can count on her support, but we both know that once Molly knows, the whole wizarding world will likely know in short order. I don't want her to hear about it second hand."

"I suppose I can use that time to get what I need out of the Burrow, in case it goes too badly. Since the kids don't use it anymore, I can utilize the second bedroom for storage for the time being," he commented. Of course he'd wait for her to tell the Hogwarts Headmistress. He'd never been able to deny Hermione anything, which given she'd never once asked him to leave Molly, he loved her all the more for the power she had over him, and the way she'd not taken advantage of his weakness. "Are you prepared to have this old man around full time?"

Hermione rolled her body over and partially on top of him, her soft breasts pressing into his chest as she collected his lips with her own, and kissed him soundly. His left arm wrapped around her lithe form and pull her closer, and his right dragged down her back and cupped her bum, squeezing the flesh as she slung one leg over his pelvis, straddling his still strong form. "I think I can adapt," she murmured as he bit down on her neck and thrust his hips as his cock flared to life yet again, sliding with ease into her hot, wet core. "Ohh, Arthur…"

* * *

Hermione nervously approached the Head of Hogwarts' office, having agreed to meet Minerva here today, rather than in the very public _Three Broomsticks_ as was their custom. Today was the day her world changed completely. While Minerva would keep her secret, Hermione had never wanted her to be burdened with doing so, and that had not changed. She would tell Minerva, and then Arthur would tell Molly. The rest would follow. After this meeting, Hermione resolved to pop by St. Mungo's and let her longtime mediwitch, Lavender Brown, know that finally, the truth was coming out.

"Hermione!" the Headmistress greeted, coming over and pulling her into a tight hug. "Good to see you, my dear."

"You too, Minerva," she said, returning the hug. "Thanks for allowing me to come here. I need to tell you something, and it's a subject which for the time being requires complete discretion."

The aging witch raised an eyebrow and gestured for her guest to take a seat. "Go on."

Hermione sat, and sighed. "I hope you don't think too poorly of me," she muttered.

"The identity of Rose and Hugo's father?" Minerva guessed.

The younger witch nodded. "And that I've been having an affair with him for thirty years."

"Is it still an affair after you and Ronald divorced?" Minerva asked. "Oh… he was also married, wasn't he?"

"He still is," Hermione replied. "Though as Rose has recently gotten engaged and wants her father to walk her down the aisle, we've agreed it's time to tell the truth. Which will ultimately lead to the end of his marriage."

"Or an agreement from him to his wife to stop seeing you," Minerva countered.

Hermione laughed outright. "Were he anyone else, I'd agree that's a possibility. But I sincerely doubt that… Molly Weasley will want to remain married to the man who began having an affair with his daughter-in-law."

Minerva's jaw dropped. "Molly...Arthur? You and _Arthur_?"

Hermione nodded. "I'd been attracted to him for some time, and when Ron and I came back from Australia, we realized the attraction was mutual. We ended up having a one night stand - both of us with the idea that if we got it out of our system then we could move past it. That resulted in the conception of Rose. Obviously, things got complicated at that point."

"I'd imagine so," Minerva chuckled. "Then what?"

"Then we avoided one another for months and months, and then one day Molly was watching Rose and had to leave, so she had Arthur come home from work early to mind Rose till I got there. It was the first time we'd been alone together since I'd gotten pregnant with Rose, and it was the day he finally asked me if Rose was his - I had not told him, though I knew he'd have to be wondering. Emotions were high, and we ended up shagging a second time. Boom, pregnant _again_. I about bloody killed him."

"So how did that lead to a thirty year affair?"

"Well, for a few years after that we kept promising 'never again' and then finally breaking down and shagging, often at the Burrow or at the flat I shared with Ron, with the constant risk of someone catching us. About five years of that and then we sat down and talked, agreed that we did not seem able to stop going _too far_ and we couldn't just not see each other without alerting everyone else. We rented a small flat under an assumed name, and for want of better expression, began our life together. The kids found out the truth by accident about fifteen years ago, and the flat became the place we could be a family. After Ron and I divorced, I moved into that flat full time."

Minerva sighed. "Well, my dear, I do not envy the situation you find yourself in. I appreciate you trusting me enough to tell me."

"I've wanted to tell you for years, Minerva," Hermione said, reaching out and touching her mentor and friend's hand. "But I know you understand why we had to be careful. In thirty years, you are the first person I've told. The only other person who knows is Lavender Brown, as she has seen to my medical care, including the test to prove the paternity of my children."

"When is Arthur telling Molly?" Minerva inquired.

Hermione sighed. "Providing he didn't chicken out, he's doing so as we speak. We're to meet at the flat this evening."

* * *

Having _not_ chickened out, at that very moment Arthur was watching his wife of sixty-seven years as she prepared lunch. Molly had a soft smile on her face, the curls of her hair falling around her cheeks. They were no longer red, having faded in the last few years to a wild mane of nearly all white. Still, while he knew they were both getting up in years, he still saw the nineteen year old girl he'd married, and smiled when he recalled the day that she'd show up at the Ministry, unable to wait until he came home to tell him that she was pregnant.

That had been for Bill, and the habit had stuck. He'd gotten two stop ins at work for the pregnancy of Fred and George, the first being the announcement, and the second being the news that they were expecting twins. While she'd been hoping for a girl when she'd learned she was pregnant, since they already had three boys, the minute she realized it was twins she wanted them to be boys. She wanted to name them after her brothers. Six months later, Frederick Gideon and George Fabian came screaming into the world. Arthur was glad she got her wish, and then after one more boy, she finally got her daughter.

He took a deep breath. "Molly, I need to talk to you about something."

She stopped cutting the celery sticks she'd been working on, and turned to face him slowly. He watched her expression as she looked him over, obviously trying to guess what was on his mind by the look on his face. They were like that, after seven decades of knowing one another. Often, words were not needed. "Hermione?" she whispered after a minute.

He blinked at her. "How… how long have you known?"

Molly huffed. "Let's just say I bore witness to Hugo's conception."

"Bloody hell," he muttered. "How _much_ do you know? I mean to tell you everything… I just need a frame of reference."

"I know you have a flat with her," Molly said, sinking into a kitchen chair across from him. "I know that Rose and Hugo are your children, and I suspect that they are aware of the fact."

"They are," he confirmed.

"I'm certain Ron doesn't know," she continued. "As I'd likely have had to bury one or the other of you had he found out at any point. I do hope you're not so foolish has to tell him alone. I know you well enough, Arthur, to know you wouldn't be coming clean to me now if you didn't mean for everyone else to find out too."

"No, Hermione and I will be telling him together," Arthur admitted. "Molly, if you've known all these years, why did you not confront me?"

"Because I'm selfish and I wanted you, and I was afraid that if it came down to a choice, you'd choose her," the aging witch replied. "I lost nothing by letting you have your secret."

He nodded. "Is there anything you want to know?"

"Why now? After thirty years, why now?"

"Rose is getting married, and she wants me to walk her down the aisle," Arthur replied. "And I'm as unable to refuse her as I am her mother. Hell, it must be a girl thing, as I was never able to tell you or Ginny _no_ either."

Molly smiled softly. "Rose deserves to have her father there on her special day. Of course, she deserved more than a father lurking in the shadows at her graduation, but there's nothing to be done for that now."

"I can't believe you already knew," he said, letting out a ragged breath. "Honestly I was expecting to get shouted at, if not outright hexed."

"You caught me in a good mood, I suppose," she said with a wry grin. "And admittedly the look on your face when you realized I knew was decidedly worth the thirty year wait. You looked like a flobberworm facing down the giant squid. Who else knows at this point?"

"Lavender Brown, Hermione's mediwitch," Arthur said. "And Hermione wanted to tell Minerva before the rest of the world heard. She should be at Hogwarts as we speak. Do you want a divorce?"

Molly laughed outright. "No. But as I know it would break your heart to stop seeing Hermione, and I also do not want to be the laughing stock of the Wizarding World in being the woman who consents to her husband having a very publically known affair, I'll be asking for one anyway. I always knew it would come to this, Arthur. I had you to myself for nearly forty years. It's Hermione's turn now. Do you need to collect your things?"

He blushed. "I already did. I didn't expect this conversation to go well, so I thought it wise to get my belongings collected ahead of time. Any other questions for today?"

"How'd you get that bruise last week?"

He rubbed his jaw where the now faded mark had been. "I initially told Rose there was no way I'd be walking her down the aisle. She ended up at Hugo's in tears, and Hugo showed up at our flat and made a sincere attempt at knocking some sense into his old man."

"Good boy," Molly commented. "Now off with you. I'm sure Hermione is anxiously waiting for you by now."

He stood as she did, and they embraced warmly. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before he stepped away, heart breaking as he saw the tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. Gods, Molly was a strong woman, but he'd be a fool to think he wasn't hurting her deeply right now. Still, he knew what he must do, and so as he blinked away his own tears, he walked out the door.

* * *

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Last chapter! Epilogue coming shortly, but meanwhile enjoy this. Will be returning my attention to Telling Time as soon as this is complete. My lovely Beta really wanted this story finished up, and I can't resist her pout in person. :P**

* * *

Today was the day that Hermione and Arthur had been dreading since the moment their eyes locked in the kitchen of the Burrow, thirty years ago. This was the day that Ron was going to find out who exactly had taken to bed with his wife and become the father of the children he'd once called his daughter and his son.

In the twelve years since the divorce, Ron had sobered up and curbed his bitterness, though he'd never remarried and likely never would. Hermione expected that her betrayal, despite her ex-husband not knowing to this point how deep a betrayal it was, had soured him against the institution. She wouldn't quite say they'd been able to become friends, but as Hermione had maintained ties with the Weasley family on a whole even post divorce, they'd at least learned to be amicable again. Harry had been invaluable in that process, and after telling Ron, her long time best friend was the next person to tell. Hermione hoped that Harry didn't hate her when the truth was officially out.

"When does Ron arrive?" Arthur asked nervously as they sat across one another at the kitchen table that had been theirs for twenty-five years.

"Any minute," Hermione whispered.

"What did you tell him already?" he asked.

"Just that I needed to speak with him privately," she replied. "I didn't want to tell him enough to make him guess the minute he sees you here. I want a chance to explain before…"

A whine sounded from the Floo, and the couple both drew sharp breaths as they stood to greet their guest. Ron, tall and lanky as he always was, stepped through a moment later, flicking his wand to clear away any soot on the floor or on his jeans and t-shirt. "Dad," he said cheerfully, spotting Arthur. "What are you doing here?"

Hermione bit her lip, knowing Ron was assuming that Arthur just happened to pop by. "He's here because I asked him to be here," she said.

Ron frowned, but whatever misgivings were rolling around in his mind did not stop him from shrugging and moving toward where they stood, at which point they exchanged hugs. As usual in recent years, Ron's hug for Hermione was brief and obligatory, though he hugged his father warmly, knowing no reason to find his affection misplaced. Hermione's heart broke as she saw Arthur holding his son tighter than he had in years, knowing full well that it could be the last hug he ever received from his youngest son. While Molly had been almost shockingly amicable about the confession, Arthur and Hermione did not have any hope in a similar reaction from Ron.

"So you said you wanted to talk to me?" Ron asked, looking at his ex-wife as the three sat down in the living room.

While normally the seating in front of the fireplace was a sofa and a loveseat, Hermione had transfigured the loveseat into two armchairs for today, sitting on the corner of each end of the sofa. The way Hermione saw things, it was less than ideal for Ron to be sharing a seat with either of them, and it was foolish to start the conversation with she and Arthur sharing a seat either.

"Ron," Hermione began, taking a deep breath. "Rose is getting married, and she wants her biological father to give her away. In order to grant my daughter her wish…"

"You have to come clean about who her father is," the younger Weasley male concluded. "What if she hates the bloke? And no offence dad, but why are you a part of this conversation?"

"Rose and Hugo know who he is and love him dearly," Hermione replied.

"And I am here, Ron," Arthur finally spoke up. "As this conversation concerns me as much as it does you and Hermione."

Ron stared at his father, and then over to his ex-wife. "I am man enough to admit that jumping to conclusions has always been an issue of mine," he said. "So… please, please, please… tell me I'm not hearing what I think I'm hearing."

Arthur gripped his wand, and took a deep breath. "Rose and Hugo are your sister and brother, son," he confessed. "Hermione and I have been seeing each other in secret for a little over thirty years now."

Hermione watched her ex-husband's face. As expected, there was shock. Also as expected, it did not take more than a minute for the shock to pass and the fury to erupt from Ron's long ago broken heart. In his defense, they deserved whatever he was about to say.

"You have got to be _fucking _kidding me," he said, voice deadly low. "Of all the men on the planet, you had to shag _my father_?"

Hermione lowered her eyes, tears falling as the guilt she usually kept pushed aside bubbled to the surface. Her heart fluttered as she saw Arthur rise from his seat on the armchair opposide Ron, and join her on the couch. "Ron…" Arthur started.

"Oh you shut up," the son snapped. "Just shut the _bloody hell_ up. Wait, scratch that, does _your wife_ know?"

"I told her yesterday," Arthur replied. "Much to my surprise, she's known almost since the beginning. She has asked for a divorce."

"Well glad I got that shite out of the way on my end!" Ron exclaimed, rolling his eyes.

"Ron, I am no longer your wife, and you have no say over my choices. You are being told the truth now as it _is_ going to be made public very shortly, and I felt after everything, I owed you that. _We_ owed you that," she said tearfully, taking Arthur's hand.

The older Weasley leaned over and pressed a chaste, reassuring kiss to her lips. While it calmed her nerves markedly, it was all in all the very last thing Arthur really should have done.

Ron lost it.

"Oh COME ON!" he groaned. "Do you have to do… THAT …. in front of _me_, for FUCK'S SAKE!"

He was out of his chair a moment later, storming towards their kitchen with seemingly some aim, though Arthur and Hermione didn't have the foggiest what he was up to when he started opening cabinets.

The silently let him go through them one by one, each one being yanked open and then slammed shut. "WHERE ARE ALL THE GOD DAMNED GLASSES?" Ron shouted.

Hermione finally understood, remembering how her ex-husband used to throw glassware when he was angry. However, as she and Arthur were in the process of moving out of this flat and into one in a less crappy neighborhood (now that they could be seen together), the kitchen had already been packed up and moved.

"Ah," she said. "Sorry, we're working on moving. Your dad and I wanted to get a place closer to the Ministry."

"WE!" Ron scoffed loudly. "You and my father. Shagging. My father knocked up my ex-wife. The kids I used to think were mine are actually my sister and brother… oh for the love of Merlin…"

At this point Hermione imagined that he was talking to himself, and a sigh from Arthur told her that the older Weasley agreed. Knowing the one question she really needed to ask, Hermione held onto her longtime lover's hand and they followed Ron into the kitchen, where he was banging his head on the pantry door in a steady, semi-gentle rhythm. "What?" he ground out weakly, hearing their approach.

"We need to know if you're going to raise hell over this or not," she said softly.

Ron let out a bitter laugh. "I'd be a bit late for that, now wouldn't I? Don't get me wrong you two… I'm more than a little furious. I fully intend to be piss drunk within the next hour, and if I am very lucky I'll wake up hungover as hell and this whole thing will just have been a sick, sick, horrible, HORRIBLE dream. But on the off chance my life really is this buggered, then no, I'm not gunna make trouble. Not likely to ever speak to _either_ of you again_, _but at this juncture… eh, not worth the trouble. Kind of contemplating moving to another country to get away from the drama, to be honest."

* * *

Hermione and Arthur had agreed that there were a handful of people they did want to talk to in person before their affair was plastered on the front page of the _Daily Prophet_. They were, as Ron had observed, getting ready to move to a nicer flat near the Ministry, and Arthur had coordinated with Molly so that she'd file for divorce on the day that they moved officially. They had two days left before that was set to happen. Hermione was keeping the kids in the dark at the moment, but once the rest of the Weasley clan had been told, they'd arrange a sit down with Rose and Hugo, and then go with Rose to talk to her fiance about things.

At present, Hermione was standing outside of Harry and Ginny's front door. While Arthur and she had argued a bit over it, ultimately Hermione had won out and would be telling Harry and Ginny without him. He had thought Ginny deserved to hear it from her father, but being the mother of a little girl told Hermione that Arthur would likely be the last person she'd want to see directly after being told that her beloved _daddy_ had been shagging her best friend of nearly forty years.

"_Well, when you put it that way…"_ Arthur had said.

Taking a centering breath, Hermione raised her hand to knock on the door to the Potter house, gold band with a single diamond catching the sunlight on her ring finger. It was an engagement ring that Arthur had given her about ten years prior, with the promise that one day they'd be able to get married, and stop living in the shadows. Hermione rarely wore the ring, not wanting to prompt questions she couldn't answer, but today, finally, things were different.

A few seconds passed, and the heavy wooden door opened to reveal the aging _Boy-Who-Lived_. "Hermione!" he greeted, reaching out and pulling her into a tight hug. "What a surprise, come in!"

"Hi Harry," she returned, holding him tightly. While she knew Harry would be disappointed in her, she also knew that ultimately she could count on his support. As she had been unfailingly loyal to him during the war, he remained unfailingly loyal to her as their lives went on. "How have you been?"

"Harry?" Ginny's voice carried from the kitchen. "Is that 'Mione?"

"Yeah, love!" he called back. "Our wayward friend seems to have found time to grace us with her presence."

Ginny came into view a moment later, rolling her eyes at her husband. "Hardly wayward, you goon. We just saw her two weeks ago." She pulled Hermione into a hug. "Hey there, girl."

"Horribly long time," he complained.

It was then that Ginny spotted the ring, as Hermione lifted her hand to brush a lock of hair out of her face. "IS THAT A RING?" she demanded in a high pitch squeal of delight.

Harry turned his attention to the item on his friend's finger. "Sure looks like one," he commented. "Blimey 'Mione. I didn't even know you were seeing someone. Engaged?"

"Well…" she started. "How about we sit? It's… complicated, guys."

Harry eyed her worriedly, obviously noting the distress in her tone, and then indicated they might all adjourn to the den. A House Elf was already laying out tea and biscuits by the time the trio were taking their seats, popping away with a brief nod to his Master and Mistress a moment later. "So," Harry finally prompted. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Hermione couldn't help but glance at the still grinning Ginny, knowing what she was going to say today would turn the other woman's world upside down in a way nothing else could. She didn't want to hurt Ginny. Hell, she'd never wanted to hurt Ginny, or Ron, or Molly, or any of the other Weasleys, but the unavoidable fact was that she and Arthur had fallen in love all those years ago, and neither of them had been able to stop themselves from acting on that feeling. End result: two wonderful children, a thirty year affair, and a pile of hurt. Still, the way Arthur stirred her soul allowed Hermione to hold onto the idea that it was all worth it.

"Rose and Hugo's father, actually," she admitted.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Have you been seeing him all this time?"

"Um... yeah," Hermione replied, blushing. "He actually gave me the ring about ten years back, but as we're preparing to go public with our relationship, I can actually wear it in public now. We have not set a date or anything, but ultimately, yes, we'll be getting married."

"Why wait?" Harry asked. "And you have yet to actually tell us the bloke's name."

Hermione took another deep breath, and a sip of tea. "We're waiting because he needs to finish the process of ending his present marriage before he can marry me."

Ginny's face fell a little. "A married man, Hermione? Really, I'd have thought you better than that."

"Me too," Harry admitted. "And if the guy loves you so much, why has it taken him this bloody long to leave his soon to be former wife?"

"I was content to be the other woman, guys," she said. "As I love his wife, and other children just as much as he does, and we did not want to hurt them. As they say, ignorance is bliss."

"Who is he, Hermione?" Harry asked, more firmly this time. "Stop beating around the bush. I am guessing you know we're not going to like the answer, but if you're going to tell us after all this time, just out and tell us already."

Ginny nodded in agreement, reaching out and touching her friend's hand. "We promise to keep an open mind, whoever it is. It's obvious you're afraid to tell us, but you shouldn't be. We're going to love you no matter…"

"I'm seeing your father, Ginny," Hermione stated, pulling her hand away as if the younger witch's touch had burned her. "Arthur and I have been having an affair for thirty years."

There was stunned silence. Harry looked at Ginny, and Ginny looked at Harry, and then they both looked back at her. Ginny was the first to actually speak again, though at first, it seemed that she was talking more to herself than Hermione. "Open mind, open mind, open mind…my _father_?!"

"Yes," she said simply. "Rose and Hugo are your little sister and brother, not niece and nephew."

Ginny brightened a bit at that bit. "Well," she said with a ragged breath. "I always did want a sister. Didn't expect it to happen _this way_, but hey, silver lining and all that. Also… ew… my _father?_"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Can't help who you fancy, Gin."

"Are you honestly not freaking out about this?" the redhead asked her husband.

"While I certainly didn't see this coming, now that I think about it, your dad and Hermione are remarkably well suited to each other. We _should_ have seen this coming."

"If you say so," Ginny muttered. "I guess that means my parents are splitting up, then?"

Hermione nodded. "I am sorry. I've always told your dad that when or if he decided to do that was entirely up to him. I never asked him to, and never would have. As I said, I was content to be the other woman for the sake of not breaking up your family. However, Rose and Jered are engaged, and Rose wants her daddy to give her away. Arthur feels that he's been unable to be part of so many milestones for those two already, and that he owes her this."

"Knowing Arthur," Harry commented, "He wants to come out about your relationship quickly now so that the dust can settle before Rose gets married. By the way, it's about damn time that boy popped the question."

It was then that Hermione noticed Ginny wore a glazed over expression, and was simply staring into her cup of tea. "Gin, are you okay?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, I'll be fine," the other witch replied, glancing up. "Still a bit stuck on _ew_, though."

Harry and Hermione both chuckled.

* * *

It was a God's honest Weasley family meeting. Arthur eyed Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy, Gerard, George, Ali, Ginny, and Harry. Ron had opted out of coming, for obvious reasons, and while Rose and Hugo were also here, they were the only ones of the younger generation. Arthur and Molly stood side by side, eyeing each other warily as they waited for the last person to arrive.

"Sorry I'm late," Hermione said, rushing into the room. "Hello everyone."

Rose and Hugo both got up to hug their mum, though the others just waved or muttered casual greetings. Once they had both taken their seats again, Hermione moved toward where her beloved and his soon to be ex-wife were standing.

"Hermione," Molly greeted tersely.

"Molly," Hermione replied, tone soft.

The tension was obvious, and Arthur moved to stand between the two women in his life. He was trying to decide how to best begin this conversation when George saved him the trouble.

"Last time a family meeting felt this foreboding was when Hermione and Ron announced they were splitting up, per Rose and Hugo not being actual Weasleys and all that," the joke shop owner commented.

"Actually," Arthur said, taking a deep breath, "Rose and Hugo _are_ Weasleys. Just not through Ron."

Having been a bit confused as to why her children had not been invited to this family meeting, Fleur glared at her husband suspiciously.

"I didn't do it," Bill said defensively, eyeing each of his brothers in turn, as if he was trying to prompt one of them into confessing to fathering Rose and Hugo before his wife killed him.

Then came the moment of truth that Rose and Hugo had been waiting on for fifteen long years. It was the moment that would give them liberty to address their father as _dad_ in front of anyone they pleased. Never again would they have to refer to him as _granddad_ at family functions.

"I did," Arthur said plainly. "Rose and Hugo are the result of my romantic involvement with Hermione."

In the stunned silence that followed, Arthur felt a weight lifting off his chest. For the first time in thirty years, he felt free of the burden this long kept secret had been. Why hadn't he done this sooner? Oh, right, fear of death and all that.

"Did you just say…?" George asked.

"You and _Hermione_ had an affair?" Percy finished.

Oddly, after the death of Fred, it had been Percy who George had leaned on as he mourned. The process of grief had bonded the brothers greatly, and when Percy came out as gay and George was the greatest voice of support, that bond had solidified.

"Yes," Arthur said, wrapping a protective arm around his longtime lover.

"I have known about it since early on," Molly put in, a tone of assurance in her voice. "While I was in no way pleased about it, I did choose not to confront your father. I was content to let him have his mistress, as Hermione was content to be one."

"Given that we're all being told now," Charlie said, openly glaring at Hermione. "Are we to assume something has changed?"

Rose chose that moment to speak up. "I'm getting married, and I asked dad to give me away. He didn't think he could without it raising questions, so…"

"Hey, little sis," Ginny said with a small grin to Rose.

Rose's face lit up. "Hey, big sis!"

"Oh brother," Charlie groaned.

"That would be me," Hugo put in, cheeky grin on his face. "Look, I get this is hard for you guys to accept, but it is what it is. We are siblings, and we've had to keep that to ourselves for a long time for the sake of your blissful ignorance. Is it really so criminal for us to want a chance to have dad in our lives openly?"

"Good point," Ginny spoke up for her youngest brother. She and Arthur had spoken briefly before this meeting, she wanting to assure him that she still loved him, however weird it felt for her at the moment. She had also voiced some pleasure at realizing that she was no longer _the baby of the family_. "Rose, and Hugo, deserve the open support and love that dad has not been able to give them, but all of us have probably taken for granted all our lives."

"Are you trying to set a record for kid-count, dad?" Bill asked with a chuckle. "Because those two make nine."

"Well," Arthur said sheepishly. "I didn't exactly do it on purpose."

"You don't _accidentally _shag someone," George laughed. "Though seriously, how did this whole you and Hermione thing happen?"

Arthur smiled wistfully. "During the last few years of the war, Hermione and I would often end up having breakfast together, per being early risers. It was innocent then, but it sparked something, and after she and Ron returned from Australia…"

* * *

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	5. Chapter 5

**This is the end of this story. I do hope you enjoy how it concludes. At some point I want to do another Arthur/Hermione fic, though at present I'm going to return my attention to Telling Time. Shoutout to my Beta, Holli, who makes me a better writer every day, and who would not allow me to just "forget" this fic. :)**

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

Hugo Arthur Weasley stood at the front of a large church, watching the crowd shuffle around in their seats awaiting the wedding to begin. Today, after a six month engagement, his sister and best friend was getting married. He honestly didn't know how he'd have survived his childhood without Rose. She'd been his rock when their mom and Ron had started fighting all the time, and she'd been the only person he knew he could trust until he was well into his teens.

His friends at Hogwarts often teased him about how close he was to his sister. Scorpius Malfoy, with whom he'd never gotten along, had gone out of his way to suggest that he and Rose were shagging when it had come out that his mum and her one father-in-law had carried on a decades long affair. Hugo had just rolled his eyes and walked away, but when Rose had found out what Malfoy had said, she'd hunted him down and hexed him good and proper. According to Healer Lavender Brown, the blonde git had needed to go to St. Mungo's to have donkey ears and tail removed. Aunt Minerva had Owled Rose a tin of ginger newts when she'd found out about that, with a note saying she was impressed by the creative use of transfiguration. When Hugo had talked to the Hogwarts Headmistress about it just this morning, the old woman had chuckled and stated, "_Well he was an arse, after all." _

Much to the surprise of pretty much everyone, Ron was in fact still speaking - albeit only when polite company required it - to both of Hugo and Rose's parents. While the man had been planning to leave the country to escape the fallout of his father and ex-wife coming out as a couple, when he'd gone to St. Mungo's for the required potions to travel internationally, he'd found himself at the business end of Lavender Brown's wand, as she told him to stop being a sulking child and man up. Ron's response to that was to collapse into a nearby chair and ask her why he wasn't enough for Hermione. Lavender being Lavender had gently told him that it wasn't about being enough for Hermione, but about being right for her.

A week after that Lavender had shown up at Hermione and Arthur's flat in a panic, Ron having asked her out on a date and Lavender realizing that she was not opposed to rekindling the flame that had developed between she and Ron back at Hogwarts. That said, she didn't want to upset her longtime friend, so she'd told Ron she wanted to make sure it was okay with Hermione before she agreed. Mum, as Dad told it, had been highly amused and told Lavender to go for it. They had been together since, and Lavender was highly responsible for Ron's civility toward his father and Hermione. Hugo chuckled when he saw the couple in question sitting toward the front of the church, Ron having just been elbowed by his girlfriend and told - loudly enough for Hugo to hear - to stop slouching.

Just then, the wooden double doors at the back opened to reveal Rose, arm in arm with their father, wearing a beautiful white dress and a smile like none Hugo had ever seen before. She was more than happy. She was glowing with joy, and by the shuffling of her dress, she appeared to be so excited she was actually _bouncing_. Hugo's face lit up at the sight of his sister. She was getting her perfect wedding, and by some miracle, the hardest part of making it happen had been for Hugo to slug their dad. If Hugo had known that, he'd have done it years ago.

The wedding march began playing, and after taking a visibly deep breath, Rose allowed their dad to start guiding her down the aisle, to the waiting arms of her soon-to-be husband, Jered Jensen. Hugo glanced to the front row where Jered's parents and their mum were sitting, and was unsurprised to Hermione already crying, happy tears of course, and also unsurprised to see her attempting to dry her eyes with a light shawl she'd worn. Hugo's hand reached into his pocket, and silently banished a handkerchief to his mother's lap. She glanced at him and offered a sheepish shrug, mouthing _thank you_ and then returning her attention to her daughter and husband of three months now.

Finally, Rose and Arthur made it to the front, and the greying man handed his daughter off to her taller groom. "I love you, daddy," Rose whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Love you too, my beautiful daughter," Arthur replied, brushing a strand of her hair back into place. "Always have and always will."

The priest cleared his throat as Rose and Jered turned to face him. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to bear witness to the joining of this wizard, and this witch…"

* * *

The wedding had been beautiful, and the reception had been wonderful, though at this point, as the last of the guests filed out, Hermione was exhausted. Arthur, despite his eighty-two years, seemed to have more bounce in his step at this point than she did, but she supposed that was to be expected.

"You didn't eat much," her husband commented, taking a seat next to her, having just escorted the last of the bride's party out. Jered and his parents were quietly conversing with the last of the groom's party, Rose at his side. Hugo was banishing trash around the hall, though he seemed to be about done with that.

"A bit of an upset stomach…" she started to say, a lurch in her gut reminding her of the fact. "Actually…be right back."

She covered her mouth and got up, rushing toward the lady's room, where she promptly threw up what little had been in her stomach to start with.

"Mum?"

"Be right there, Rose," Hermione called from the stall. "Are you alright?"

"I'm not the one sicking up," her daughter's voice replied. "Dad says you've seemed ill for the last few weeks. Have you been to see Lavender?"

Hermione stepped out of the stall, gratefully taking a the cup of water that Rose offered her, sipping the cool liquid slowly. "Thank you."

"Mum, you're worrying dad…"

"I'm fine, sweetie," Hermione insisted. "I have been to see Lavender, two weeks ago. There's nothing… wrong."

"Nothing wrong? How can you be sick and nothing be…" Rose's voice trailed off, and she looked at her mum wide eyed. "You're not…? Are you?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Surprisingly, yes."

"Holy...mother of Merlin," Rose breathed. "Have you told anyone?"

"Not even your dad. I was going to tell him this evening, I suppose I should go tell him and your brother now," Hermione sighed.

Rose nodded. "After you, oh delicate one."

"None of that!" Hermione huffed as they exited the restroom, and made their way back to the table where Hugo and Arthur were both sitting now.

"You alright, love?" Arthur asked, concern etched in his face. Hugo looked equally worried.

Rose smirk. "Oh, she's fine. At least she will be…"

"...in about six months…" Hermione finished.

Hugo looked totally confused, but Arthur's eyes dropped to her stomach, staring for nearly a full minute before he looked his wife in the eye again. "Whut?" he asked stupidly. "How?"

"Arthur, dear, I do believe you know _how_," she chuckled. "You were there, as I recall."

"Ugh, they're talking about sex!" Rose groaned.

"I am so lost," Hugo complained.

"Mum's pregnant, twerp," his sister said, grinning. "In about six months, you will no longer be _the baby_ of the family."

Hugo's eyes widened. "Huh?!"

"Like father, like son," Hermione muttered. "Arthur, my love, are you alright?"

He stood and kissed her soundly. "Of course, dear. Just… rather surprised. I thought you were on the potion."

"I was," she replied. "Lavender believes that it must have been a faulty batch. I told her that she could take out the equipment when the baby is born, as I am really getting too old for this."

"Are you sure you guys are up for this?" Hugo asked.

Rose smirked. "If they're healthy and active enough to be baby making, they can certainly manage having one and raising one. Of course, Hugo, as you have no love life, you'll be around to help Mum…"

"Actually I'm seeing someone," Hugo admitted with a light blush. "Still pretty new, but I'm… hopeful."

"Well that's great!" Arthur said. "What's the lucky lady's name?"

"Well... er…" he paused. "I'm actually seeing a man."

This time, it was the women who stood stunned, and Arthur who took the news in stride. "Well, I can't say I didn't see that coming. Who is _he_ then, Hugo?"

"Well you see, he's a bit older than me…"

"Like your father and I are going to give you crap for that," Hermione scoffed.

"Dennis," Hugo finally admitted. "Dennis Creevey. We got assigned to work on a project together for the _Prophet_ about four months ago, and I of course knew him from when he did the school photographs back at Hogwarts, but meeting him as an adult… well, things just clicked. Next thing I know he's snogging me in front of my flat and then we went inside and…"

"Got the picture, little sib," Rose interrupted. "And good for you. I'm glad you've finally found someone, even if he is oddly obsessed with Harry."

"He's not obsessed with Harry!" Hugo argued.

Hermione took her husband's hand, melting a little as he flashed a smile at her. It was moments like this that made the hard road totally worth it. Finally, they were a normal - well, close as they could get - family. As much as a part of her wished they'd come clean about the affair after she got pregnant with Rose, in the end she was glad that things had gone as they did. She'd grown up watching Arthur and Molly's children bickering with each other, and often holding rather long grudges over silly things, and taking their parents for granted. Rose and Hugo, having not had Arthur as a primary part of their lives as they grew up, valued every second they got with the man. They looked for reasons to spend time with each other, and their parents.

"Mum," Rose asked. "Would you be up for ice cream? Jered is taking his parents back to the hotel, so I was thinking that the four of us could go get dessert to celebrate your news. I know you probably didn't do much celebrating when you got pregnant with me and Hugo… but this baby should have it all. It should be celebrated from day one."

Hermione wasn't sure if it was Rose's heartfelt words or the growing interest in chocolate ice cream post the suggestion, but her stomach settled. "I think we can do that. Arthur, does that sound good to you?"

"I think it sounds brilliant," he replied.

"Fortescue's?" Hugo asked. "I expect we all want to change, so meet there in half hour?"

"If we do an hour, Jered can join us," Rose suggested.

"How about you see if Dennis would like to join us as well, Hugo?" Arthur suggested.

Hugo's face lit up at his father's support of his choice in partners. "I'll see if he's free," he said enthusiastically.

"An hour then," Hermione agreed.

Quick hugs were exchanged, and Rose and Hugo apparated away in quick succession. "Shall I side-along you?" Arthur asked his wife once they were gone. "I can tell you're tired."

She nodded, wrapping her arms around his middle and resting her head on his chest. "I love you, Arthur."

"And I love you, Hermione," he replied. "Though Merlin knows you deserve better than an old man like me."

"Well you're stuck with me, in any case," she smirked. "As you seemed to have knocked me up again."

They apparated, appearing in their kitchen a second later. Momentum jolted her hard against Arthur, thrusting Hermione into a memory of nearly thirty-two years prior, when she and Ron had just returned from Australia, and she and Arthur had just realized that somehow, someway, they'd fallen in love. Just like all those years ago, as Arthur leaned in to kiss her, Hermione felt the world slip away. For a little while, it was just him and her, and nothing else mattered.

* * *

**A/N: I write Harry Potter fanfic with the wizarding aging formula in mind. (x-17/2+17=y) which would place Hermione the physical age of about 35, and Arthur at about 50 by the time of the epilogue. As such, it's reasonable for them to have a pregnancy and I do not foresee any complications under the care of Healer Brown. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


End file.
